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One taken to hospital after fire guts mobile home south of Whitecourt

Concerned neigbours wait for news as emergency crews arrive to battle a mobile home fire 25 kilometres south of Whitecourt. A neighbour was taken to hospital but nobody sustained serious injuries. Nobody was home at the time of the fire. Bryan Passifiume photo | Whitecourt Star

One man was taken to hospital after a mobile home caught fire southwest of Whitecourt Tuesday evening.

Whitecourt Fire got the call just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8. A caller reported flames coming from a mobile home near Groat Creek Road, west of Highway 32, about 25 kilometres south of Whitecourt.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Troy DuFort, the fire occurred in a subdivided farm acreage-type plot of land housing several residences that share a common driveway.

While the home was unoccupied at the time of the fire, DuFort credits a neighbour with triggering the response.

"A family member who lives in a neighbouring residence came home and noticed the fire," DuFort told the star, saying that he immediately started calling for help.

DuFort arrived on scene to find the man using garden hoses and buckets of water in a desperate attempt to keep the fire from spreading to his property. DuFort helped the man in his efforts until the first fire truck arrived on scene shortly after. The man sustained injuries in his efforts to protect his home and was subsequently transported to hospital by Whitecourt EMS.

As the mobile home was almost completely engulfed by flames by the time crews arrived, DuFort said that there was little for them to do but assume a defensive firefighting strategy: contain the fire and keep it from spreading.

"When I got there, it was fully involved," DuFort said. "Just the back trailer wall was all that was standing when I go there."

Mutual aid was called in from Blue Ridge and Yellowhead County fire departments requesting use of their water tenders.

The three tenders from Whitecourt, Yellowhead and Blue Ridge were operating on a constant rotation to bring water to the fire. Tenders had to make a 50 kilometre round trip to Whitecourt to get water. A water refilling station, manned by new recruits from the Whitecourt Fire Department, was set up at a hydrant near the intersection of Highway 32 and 43.

DuFort said that efforts are underway to commission additional hydrants at the Whitecourt Airport, but they weren't available during last night's fire.

It wasn't until shortly before 8:30 p.m. that scene commanders declared the fire under control.

The mobile home was completely destroyed in the blaze, and crews were successful in containing the fire.

DuFort credited his crews for their swift response and hard work keeping the fire contained. The first fire engine arrived on scene at 6:20 p.m., representing a 10 minute response time to a fire over 25 kilometres away.

Nearly 20 firefighters took part in the effort, spread across two fire engines and three water tenders.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Donations to help the family can be made at the Servus Credit Union in downtown Whitecourt.